AS a footballer with over two decades of service as a professional, long motorway trips to the other side of the country have always gone with the territory for David McGoldrick.

As he got on the team bus with his Barnsley team-mates for the long journey south to Devon on a Friday in summer holiday season - not most people’s idea of fun - memories of one similar trek ‘down south’ much earlier in his career is providing him with ‘fuel’ to carry on at the age of 37.

McGoldrick told The Yorkshire Post: "When I was at Southampton, I used to drive down from Nottingham and pick up Stern John.

"I was at Nottingham Forest and Coventry with him and I used to pick him up in Coventry and he used to tell me about his career.

Barnsley summer recruit David McGoldrick. Picture courtesy of Barnsley FC.

placeholder image — Barnsley summer recruit David McGoldrick. Picture courtesy of Barnsley FC.

"I remember he used to say to me: ‘Embrace every minute of football because it will finish like that.’

"He was at the end of his career and that stuck with me. I am telling the boys that now - your career will go like that; work as hard as you can.”

The proper professionals who last well into their thirties don’t just rely on graft, talent and looking after themselves to carry on, but observational skills.

Over the years, they will process stacks information from a plethora of managers and team-mates and file away the best bits.

Barnsley head coach Conor Hourihane. Photo: Tony Johnson.

In terms of managers, McGoldrick has worked with some of the best at EFL level, for sure. Rubbing shoulders with some respected Premier League players on the international stage with the Republic of Ireland has also been instructive.

He continued: "Mick McCarthy taught me a lot in terms of being a ‘man’ and player. But probably when I went to the Republic of Ireland, I saw the likes of Shane Long, Robbie Keane and Jon Walters and how they did things day in, day out.

"I remember when we were on our way to a game and Jonny Walters was stretching in the middle of the bus doing band work. I was like: ‘wow, this is what it is...’

"I took inspiration and that stuck in my mind. I had words from Harry Redknapp when I was younger and he always said: ‘Don’t worry about missing a chance, worry about when you are not getting the chances.’ That stuck with me; as long as I am getting chances, I am doing okay."

Goal totals of 13, 17 and 25 in his three seasons after leaving Sheffield United suggest that McGoldrick is doing better than okay.

His accomplice at Bramall Lane in Billy Sharp is also still going strong at nearby Doncaster Rovers. That he is doing it past his fortieth birthday is also a bit of a ‘pep talk’ for McGoldrick.

On joining the select band of players to take the field at 40, the Nottingham-born forward, who turns 38 in November, commented: "It is there to be done.

"Me and Billy have never relied on our pace. Billy has a natural instinct and he can move around, get the ball in the box and knows what to do. I have never had pace and it’s more been upstairs in the brain and that helps.

"When you rely on your pace and you lose it, that’s when it really goes down. But we’ve never had that problem, so why not..

"Although I have not put a number on it. I have just said to myself: ‘When the time, I will know when the time is right.’

While enjoyment is a key consideration in the winter of his career, McGoldrick has another important driver. Respect.

He is quick to point out that his relationship on a day to day level with Conor Hourihane will be that of player and manager. But he also knows the person behind the manager, someone whom he values as a friend and is keen to help out.

At this stage of his journey, that means a lot to McGoldrick.

His move to Barnsley was brokered, albeit in a light-hearted way at first, at a wedding they both attended in the close season.

The wine flowed that day and so did the good conversations afterwards when the move gathered pace.

McGoldrick, a team-mate of Hourihane's at Derby County and Ireland, said: "I’d had a few wines and went and put a blank piece of paper with a five-year contract in front of him and told him to sign it!.

"This is a big opportunity for Conor, he is working so hard behind the scenes and putting in the hours.

"I am not just saying this because he is my friend but I am really impressed with everything he is doing. The graft he is putting in, there's no days off for him.

"When you are friends, you don’t want to let him down and I have responsibility as well. I won’t let him down."